Perez y Martina

Hooray! It?s Pura Belpre! Renowned Puerto Rican children?s book author (and, better still, children?s librarian) it is a pleasure to finally read one of her books. As you may or may not know, the American Library Association distributes the distinguished Pura Belpre award to noteworthy South American children?s books. As such, it is an honor to finally read one of the author?s best known stories. The tale of Perez the mouse and Martina the Spanish cockroach. Martina lives all alone in her very own home. One day she finds a shiny peseta and decides to spend it on a box of powder for her face. After a good powdering she dresses in her best dress, takes her fan, and sits on her porch. As she does so, various male members of the community repeatedly come up and ask Martina for her hand in marriage. This is the part I would have loved as a kid. I adored stories where characters wanted to wed. Martina, however, is able to put off each potential suitor by merely asking how he will speak to her one they are married. Senor Cat would say, ?Miaow, Miaow, Miaow? which would frighten her, Senor Cricket would say, ?Coqui, Coqui, Coqui?, which would make her sad, and so on. It is only when Perez the mouse, a creature adept at the beautiful bow, asks for Martina?s hand that she agrees. They have a lovely wedding and Martina performs a fabulous Spanish dance for her Perez. Then one day while Martina is cooking, Perez falls into the pot and is cooked to death. The end. Feel the ending is a little abrupt? So did I. I?ve a very distinct feeling (though I?ve no facts to back this theory up with) that many a parent in the past has simply ended the book after Martina does her beautiful dance. I was completely shocked when I reached the picture of Martine staring dumbfounded at her kettle on the fire, Perez?s little well-shod feet sticking straight out of the broth. It?s such a sad and violent moment that I wondered if I?d idylly wandered into a Grimm fairy tale along the course of my travels. Just the same, I don?t think the ending is enough to scare children or anything of that nature. It?ll only depress them. The last line of the book is, after all, ?And to this time, she still sings, she still plays, and she still weeps for her little Perez to come back to her!? Sniffle. But I really was very fond of this book. Carlos Sanchez?s illustrations are both colorful and sprightly. There?s a beautiful opening shot of Martina sitting on her balcony as Perez croons to her a love ballad beneath a shiny yellow moon. Sanchez has few problems with making his characters look exactly as they would appear in nature. Martina may be pink and have a human-like body, but she definitely has the head of a cockroach. I loved the vibrancy of the pictures as well. The shot of Martina dancing with maracas in her hands is a lively wonderful piece of fairy tale fare. All in all, if you can get beyond reading a book to your kids about a pair of lovers that ends